Apple announces support for alternative app stores in the EU, charging no commission but instead an annual €0.50 Core Technology Fee per install per account
including sideloading John Voorhees / MacStories : Apple Details How It Plans to Comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act Siôn Geschwindt / TNW : Apple begrudgingly allows EU customers to use rival app stores on iPhone Reuters : Apple faces ‘strong action’ if App Store changes fall short, says EU's Breton Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac : Apple's third-party app store announcements guarantee the company will end up in court Bloomberg : Apple Overhauls App Store, iPhone Features in EU to Appease Regulators Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Apple announces support for third-party iPhone app stores in the EU, coming with iOS 17.4 Zac Hall / 9to5Mac : Apple releases first iOS 17.4 beta with these changes for the EU Niall Kitson / TechCentral.ie : Apple to let European users install apps that aren't on the App Store Juli Clover / MacRumors : These Are the Countries Where You Can Install Apps Outside of the iOS App Store Mat Smith / Engadget : The Morning After: Apple explains how third-party app stores will work in Europe Rounak Jain / Benzinga : Apple's Alternative App Store Model In The EU Could Potentially Cost Meta, Others ‘Millions’ Of Dollars In Yearly Payments To The iPhone-Maker Thom Holwerda / OSnews : Apple to allow sideloading, alternative application stores, alternative browser engines, lower costs, and more on iOS, but only in the EU Daniel Griffiths / Pocket Gamer.biz : Apple's Core Technology Fee explained - Who'll be paying what (and is this even legal?) Ashley Gold / Axios : Apple announces sweeping EU App Store changes Katie Collins / CNET : Apple Will Allow Installation of Rival App Stores on iPhones... but Only in Europe Kate O'Flaherty / Forbes : iOS 17.4—Game-Changing New Move Will Transform Your iPhone Forever Pranav Dixit / Business Today : Apple embraces change: Sideloading, alternate app stores coming to iPhone thanks to the EU Rostyslav Sobachynskyi / AIN.Capital : Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union Daniel Sims / TechSpot : Apple big App Store changes: third-party stores and cloud gaming now allowed, also full-blown Chrome and Firefox Wayne Ma / The Information : Apple Reduces Commissions in Europe for App Developers New York Times : Apple Overhauls App Store in Europe, in Response to New Digital Law Alan Friedman / PhoneArena : Apple announces big changes coming in March to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the EU J.D. Capelouto / Semafor : Apple overhauls app store in EU in landmark shift Michael Liedtke / Tech Xplore : Apple will open iPhone to alternative app stores, lower fees in Europe to comply with regulations Brendan Sinclair / GamesIndustry.biz : Apple to allow alternative app stores in Europe Maria Diaz / ZDNet : Apple OKs sideloading apps in the EU - with these restrictions Andrew Liszewski / The Messenger : Apple iPhones Will Soon Feature Other App Stores, But Only in Europe Adi Robertson / The Verge : Third-party iOS app store announcements are already rolling out. Dallas Thomas / Android Police : Apple is finally making it easy for iPhone users to sideload apps Simon Batt / XDA Developers : Apple just made the App Store more like Android, but only in the EU Adam Eckert / Benzinga : Apple's App Store To Get Major Overhaul In Response To EU Regulations Laurent Giret / Thurrott : iOS 17.4 Will Open Up the App Store, Other iPhone Features for EU Users in March Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch : Apple's answer to EU's gatekeeper rules is new ‘core tech’ fee for apps Karissa Bell / Engadget : Apple details how third-party app stores and payments will work in Europe Taylor Lyles / IGN : Apple Finally Lets Other Companies Launch Their Own Storefronts on the App Store Andrew Griffin / The Independent : Apple makes dramatic changes to the iPhone and App Store Brian Fung / CNN : Apple announces sweeping changes for apps in Europe, including allowing third-party app stores for the first time William Gallagher / AppleInsider : Apple has new App Store rules, business terms, and sideloading conditions for EU developers Adrian Weckler / Independent.ie : Cheaper Spotify and Netflix subscriptions could be on the way after EU forces iPhone App Store shake-up Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac : Apple details its plans to “protect and inform” EU users, like via in-app disclosure sheets; features like Family Sharing won't be available when sideloading Threads: M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : Apple Introduces Sweeping App Store Changes to Ensure the Status Quo is Maintained Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : Today I'm thinking about engineers at Apple that had to this work knowing it is undoing a highly-valued and unique brand promise. 💔 Big companies lobbying behind the scenes will ultimately undermine security, privacy, and reliability for all. … Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : There is not much you can say about Apple's App Store rules that we didn't say in 2011. Apple thinks it should get paid by developers and it thinks that third-party apps need to be managed actively for privacy security and performance. The first is a matter of opinion, but on the second it's absolutely right. Roman / @roman_lfb : From all of those App Store changes, what I'm honestly most looking forward to are the new analytics reports. Apple really needed to up their game there! As for the rest, it sounds like a bit of a headache. I'll let others experiment with alternative App Stores and the new fees before forming an opinion... M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : I wrote a bit on these App Store changes earlier (on the first report before Apple confirmed changes being made). My guess was it was Apple going down the taunting path. So this *seems* better. But it's also way more convoluted, so it's hard to know for sure. There would appear to be a “look at all the changes we're making! … @altstoreio : It's finally happening — sideloading is coming to the EU! We've started the process of becoming a legitimate “app marketplace”, allowing our European friends to download Delta and other AltStore apps officially for the first time ever! See you in March ☘️ Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : One gotcha that immediately jumps out: “Marketplace apps may only be installed from the marketplace developer's website” Your can't put an app in the Apple app store that can sell and download third party apps. So Meta can't put a games store in the main Facebook app - unless it makes you go to a website to download that app serpately. Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : Apple's plan for side-loading and third party app stores in the EU. Plus, third party web browsing engines. Lots of things to read. Big deal, perhaps, for some apps (Spotify)... but the real question is how much any of this really changes things. https://developer.apple.com/ ... Federico Viticci / @viticci : Apple has announced some SWEEPING changes coming to the App Store in the EU with iOS 17.4: - Alternative app marketplaces - 0% commission for apps sold outside the App Store - Third-party browser engines now allowed (!!) … Mastodon: Jeff Johnson / @lapcatsoftware@mastodon.social : I find all the new rules extremely confusing. — Which I'd guess was intentional. Jeff Johnson / @lapcatsoftware@mastodon.social : As far as I can tell, there's no *independent* app distribution on iOS, like there is on the Mac. There are only “alternative marketplaces” that have to be approved by Apple. That sucks. Fuck that shit. We don't need gatekeepers at all, whether Apple or some alternative. Anything less than the capability for direct distribution from developer to consumer is unacceptable. @viticci@mastodon.macstories.net : Apple is also reducing its App Store commission to 17% (or 10% for discounted rate program). They are also introducing: — Third-party NFC payments — Third-party payment methods on the App Store — A new screen for picking your default browser — Data portability for your App Store history … @sdw@mastodon.social : 2027. I set up my new iPhone. I insert my EU mandated replaceable compostable battery. I choose my default browser, phone dialer, Lock Screen, health app, NFC payment app, and Siri voice (the EU mandated an open market for Siri voices in the amended 2026 Digital Markets Act). I go to the App Store, dismiss the cookie warning, select my App Store search engine and download the Coca-Cola App Catalogue to get the Disney+ app to load up on MickeyCoins to purchase the latest Star Wars game. X: @epicnewsroom : Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We'll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : This is wayyyy more convoluted than you can fit in one headline. The question is if it will placate the EU or taunt them. On first read, feels almost like Apple did more than they absolutely needed to in order to look good but the details make it awfully complicated... Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : The concept of not permitting additional runtimes on iPhone and iPad has long been known as a significant risk. People can see this as a constraint all they want but it was part of an Apple brand promise Steve Jobs went to the market with. See “Thoughts on Flash” from 2010. This... Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : I'm still shocked by the fact that Apple's DMA compliance plan is to charge developers more money to use the DMA compliant version of their product. The €0.50 fee means a free app with 2M users will now owe Apple €500,000 a year versus nothing today. https://www.macrumors.com/... Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : Just one wild example. Apple did a massive amount of work and took significant heat to make the iPhone a much better device to use the web without being tracked BY DEFAULT. This latest move undoes all that work and now it will be easy to distribute apps that track/phone... @snazzylabs : It's hard to legislate perceived monopolies. On the one hand, I do think Apple abuses developers for App Store revenue. On the other hand, legislating that things be opened will just allow other crappy companies to worsen the experience for end-users on top of Apple. @techhighest : Everything wrong with apple's sideloading (what has been deciphered so far) - $1 Million letter of credit needed - .ipa's can't be installed - only 3rd party stores can be directly installed (from the web) - 0.50€/mo/install after 1M downloads @dhh : The biggest loser of Apple's new EU/DMA regime seems to be Meta! They must now pay $10m PER MONTH PER APP that gets 200m installs. That's gotta be hundreds of millions in new yearly payments from Meta to Apple?? [image] @mysk_co : No new Spotify on the iPad though. If your app supports both iOS and iPadOS and now you're interested in an alternative app marketplace, you have to submit two apps: an iPadOS app to Apple's App Store and an iOS app to a third-party app store. Insane 🤯 [image] @snazzylabs : The EU has mandated that all phones have built-in 56K modems by 2027. Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : RIP to all those people that thought the EU would bring macOS style sideloading to iOS, I guess @alexlindsay : @sdw Apple is opening it up just enough to build use cases for why it will affect quality and security. The first missteps will be part of the marketing campaign. As a user, I really don't want another store. As a developer, I really don't want users to be confused/frustrated. @andreas_schwab : @lewis_crofts ... He also has to watch the @EP_SingleMarket 🚨 Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : #DMA rapporteur & EU Parliament's digital regulation guru has his eye on the #Apple compliance plan. David Barnard / @drbarnard : One bit of good news. ATT will still apply for apps installed outside the App Store. That mostly negates the impetus for Meta to create a 3rd party app store just to circumvent ATT and improve marketing efficiency with better data. There might still be some “first party” data that helps... Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : Overall, I think these are great changes and Apple should make these worldwide not just in the EU. Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : Apple has announced their sideloading plan to comply with the EU's DMA. They will charge €0.50 per install per year for sideloaded apps, with the first million being free. The App Store's 30% cut will also be reduced to 17%. But wait there's more https://www.macrumors.com/... Mishaal Rahman / @mishaalrahman : “iOS apps distributed from the App Store and/or an alternative app marketplace will pay €0.50 for each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold.” This seems ridiculous, especially since it affects third-party app stores too?? Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : Update on apps distributed in the European Union [link] These do not make the platform better for anyone but degrade the computer experience for everyone. It isn't what consumers are paying for... Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : What the EU is doing to iPhone is making me sad. My heart breaks for engineers and others at Apple being forced to make their product bad and undermine a brand promise they worked so hard to build. We're all less safe, secure, reliable, private, etc online.💔 Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : Finally, Apple has opened the doors to alternative app stores and real choice in the EU. [Quotes his earlier toot:] M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : Apple Introduces Sweeping App Store Changes to Ensure the Status Quo is Maintained Steve Moser / @stevemoser : Lots of info in Apple's App Store changes announcement. - What are mini-apps? How are they different from App Clips, applets, and plugins? We need an explainer. - Streaming of games i.e. cloud games (and mini-apps)! - New app analytics. EU Changes - 3rd party NFC Tap to Pay... [image] M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : Which is to say, optically it looks good on paper but there are so many if/thens that it may not actually be in practice (shocker, I know). A way to make it appear compliant while at the same time not shifting the status quo much. Maybe too cynical. But well... Simonetta Vezzoso / @wavesblog : “The changes include more than 600 new APIs, expanded app analytics, functionality for alternative browser engines, and options for processing app payments and distributing iOS apps” Does it qualify as effective DMA compliance? Matthew Ball / @ballmatthew : The €0.50 per install can get tricky - exact savings aren't yet clear. But big question is does this simultaneously expand who the fees apply to - in a sense, more fair to gaming devs that were previously singled out, but at the cost of those with exceptions ("reader apps") James O'Malley / @psythor : Very curious whether Britain will inherit these new rules just because it's easier to administer British users as part of Europe, or if we'll be treated separately. (As far as I'm aware our Digital Markets bill isn't as explicit as the EU's DMA on stuff like this?). Andreas Proschofsky / @suka_hiroaki : Thank you, EU! Third party app stores, side loading, real third party browsers. Nice things coming up for iphone users Aaron Tilley / @aatilley : Apple announces its DMA compliance plan that include sideloading. For sideloaded apps, Apple will be charging “€0.50 for each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold.” For big apps, that could be a lot of money https://www.apple.com/... Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : Apple & @tim_cook making their big play to appease @vestager and comply with the #DMA. Changes to: - App Store: to allow side-loading - fee-structure: for apps outside their app store - choice screen to select the browser you want Apple's foes will be picking over this. /1 Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : Apple says iOS 17.4 will allow rival app stores, so-called side-loading. You can't download apps from a browser, but developers can put their apps in a rival store. Developers can stick w/ Apple if they want. 30pc fee for digital content or 15pc if you're a small business /2 Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : Apple is still clearly not a fan of the DMA and reckons it's doesn't chime with its own high level of privacy and security. But they are complying anyway. The company is bringing in an authorization process for app store developers, but says “many risks remain."/4 Mark Gurman / @markgurman : NEW: Apple is overhauling the App Store, Safari and iPhone features in the European Union to appease regulators. This includes 3rd-party stores, side loading, new commissions (10% to 17%), third-party tap to pay apps and all-in-one game streaming services https://www.bloomberg.com/... Max Weinbach / @maxwinebach : Might need to buy an EU iPhone Ryan Jones / @rjonesy : SIX HUNDRED new API's. Holy shit. More analytics. Alternative browser engines. Alternative payment processors. [image] Rich DeMuro / @richontech : Apple says forced changes in the EU to allow users to download apps from outside its own App Store and payment systems will result in “new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats” I 100% agree. While I'm not a... [image] LinkedIn: Albert Fong : The walled garden is getting chipped away at least in Europe. Apple is overhauling the App Store, Safari and iPhone features in the EU to appease regulators … Nico Wittenborn : I started in tech by unlocking iPhones to enable Cydia and we've come full circle — This will enable higher margins for mobile-first companies … Benedict Evans : Apple has published its terms for complying with the DMA requirement for third parry apps stores. There is a lot in here for people to argue about. … Forums: Hacker News : iOS 17.4 Introduces Alternative App Marketplaces with No Commission in EU r/gadgets : Apple is bringing sideloading and alternate app stores to the iPhone Ars OpenForum : Apple announces sweeping EU App Store policy changes—including sideloading Ars OpenForum : New EU App Store rules MacRumors Forums : These Are the Countries Where You Can Install Apps Outside of the iOS App Store
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had been preparing an EU-specific App Store split ahead of the DMA deadline, making this a shift from a single distribution model toward regionally differentiated platform terms. The parallel reduced EU App Store commission schedule shows that Apple is changing both its own-store economics and the terms for distribution outside it.
The new rules immediately drew a challenge from Epic’s CEO, who characterized the fee design as malicious DMA compliance. That dispute matters because the practical openness of the alternative-store regime will be judged not only by permission to distribute, but by the costs and conditions attached to it.
First-order effects
- EU iPhone developers and alternative marketplace operators gain a new route to distribute apps without an App Store commission, but apps using that route face a €0.50 annual Core Technology Fee for each install per account.
- Apple replaces a percentage-of-transaction charge with a per-install charge for this distribution path, preserving a direct economic relationship with apps distributed outside its store.
Second-order effects
- Developers must compare the new per-install fee with Apple’s EU commission options and their expected install volumes, making distribution-channel choice a cost-model decision rather than a simple escape from commission.
- Alternative app stores can compete for EU catalogues, but their ability to attract high-install apps will depend on whether their commercial terms offset Apple’s new fee and operating requirements.
Third-order effects
- DMA compliance is likely to shift competition from whether gatekeepers permit alternative access to whether their technical and pricing terms leave that access commercially viable; EU scrutiny of Apple’s fee structure will be consequential.
- If this model holds, major mobile platforms may increasingly segment distribution, payments, and developer economics by jurisdiction rather than operate one globally uniform store policy.
The trend: This is part of regulated mobile-platform unbundling, where mandated choice opens new channels while gatekeepers redesign the economic terms of access.